Guilty verdict returned in Shoshone County fentanyl trial

WALLACE —  A Montana man was found guilty of numerous drug-related charges following a recent trial in Shoshone County.  

Shoshone County Deputy Prosecutor Britney Jacobs said the jury needed just 30 minutes to return a guilty verdict for 40-year-old Lacey Eagle The Boy, who had been charged with possession of fentanyl pills with intent to deliver, attempted destruction of evidence, reckless driving, possession of marijuana, and possession of an open container of alcohol by a driver. 

The Boy, of Box Elder, Mont., was arrested in August 2023 following a traffic stop on Interstate 90, where Shoshone County sheriff’s deputies observed him traveling at 90 miles per hour through a construction zone near Pinehurst at about 1 a.m.  

“While Corporal Darius Dustin was performing field sobriety tests on The Boy for suspicion of driving under the influence, fentanyl pills dropped on the ground and The Boy began trying to step on the pills, crushing them into the pavement in an attempt to prevent law enforcement from retrieving them,” Jacobs said. “More of these fentanyl pills, which had been colored and marked to imitate oxycodone, were found in The Boy’s pants, shoes and scattered throughout his vehicle."

In all, about 400 fentanyl pills were located during the stop, which Dustin testified was well over a user’s typical amount for personal use. Instead, these pills were likely intended to be sold, a circumstantial conclusion which was easy for the jury to reach, Jacobs said. 

Deputies also found open containers of beer, marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. A loaded handgun was found hidden beneath the driver’s seat.

The Boy was scheduled for a jury trial in August 2024, but he failed to appear, so a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. He was located in January and has remained in police custody since then. His sentencing is now scheduled for June.

Throughout the trial, the defense tried to pin ownership of the pills on another passenger in the vehicle. Under Idaho’s laws of constructive possession, more than one individual can be in actual control of an item, Jacobs said.

Jacobs said The Boy was only charged with possession of a schedule II substance with intent to deliver because the arrest was in 2023, before Idaho passed specific legislation concerning fentanyl, which set tiered mandatory minimum sentences for trafficking the drug.  

That charge carries a maximum potential sentence of life in prison, but no mandatory minimum. However, Jacobs said she intends to recommend a sentence in line with the new fentanyl trafficking legislation.